Endocrine Abstracts

Spontaneous hyperadrenocorticism in dogs and cats is most commonly (∼90%) caused by a functional pituitary tumour. As pituitary surgery is still an uncommon practice in veterinary science, these animals are generally managed medically using either mitotane or trilostane.The traditional method of managing PDH in dogs has been long term mitotane (o, pDDD) administration. The essence of this regime is to destroy most of the hyperplastic adrenal cortex...

Research in farm animals has long been a cornerstone of our understanding of reproduction and holds similar opportunities for understanding mechanisms by which stress affects fertility. Sheep and cow experimental models are appropriate to humans, especially as detailed longitudinal studies are possible because of size and access to ovaries.Failure to realise genetic potential is a better definition of stress than ‘an increase in corticoids’; ma...

It often surprises medical clinicians to learn that pet dogs can suffer from diabetes mellitus which is diagnosed and treated by veterinary surgeons in much the same way as in human patients. Unfortunately, research into the pathogenesis of canine diabetes has failed to keep pace with its human counterpart, particularly when it comes to understanding the genetic and immunological basis of the disease.Diabetes is one of the most common endocrine disorders...

Feline hyperthyroidism (FH) is the commonest endocrinopathy in cats. The mean age at presentation is 13 to 14 years of age, and the incidence has been estimated at 1 cat per 300 cats examined. Hyperthyroidism due to thyroid stimulating autoantibodies (a feline Graves’ disease) has not been reported in cats. FH is analogous, clinically and pathologically, to human toxic nodular goitre (HTNG), though there is no known sex predisposition in cats, unlike the female predisposi...